MotoGP: Rossi with confirmed leg fractures

Valentino Rossi has been confirmed as having suffered fractures to the tibia and fibula bones of his right leg after falling yesterday while training enduro near his home in Tavullia, Italy. The Movistar Yamaha rider was taken to the Ospedale Civile di Urbino where he is due to undergo surgery to repair the breaks.

The injury, a displaced break to both bones in his lower leg according to a brief Yamaha statement, is likely to require fixation to reset the bones, and whether this is internal (a pin or plate inserted into the bones) or external (with a cage similar to the ones currently sported by John McGuinness and Ian Hutchinson after breaking the same bones this season) could determine recovery time, with it potentially ranging from weeks to months.

It will most likely bring to an end his 2017 championship aspirations, however, as he currently sits in fourth place in the series some 26 points adrift of championship leader Andrea Dovizioso with only six rounds remaining, at least two of which (Misano and Aragon) he is almost certain to miss.

The nine-time world champion was training with his VR46 Academy riders, something that has become a key part of his increased training regime as he grows older, and marks the second time this season that he has injured himself, after suffering chest injuries prior to the Mugello race back in May.